System and method for downstream application and control electronic billboard system

A method for authorization and control of an Electronic Billboard system operated at a location remote from a video program origination location comprising the steps of:

• presuppling a user key to the Electronic Billboard system in advance of an intended usage of the system;
• supplying a broadcast key to the Electronic Billboard system at or near a time of transmission of a video program to the Electronic Billboard system from the video program origination location;
• and,
• selectively enabling the Electronic Billboard system to operate on said video program to effect a substitution of a chosen indicia into a preselected portion of an image existing in said video program upon said user key and said broadcast key being found to correspond to a predetermined criteria,
• wherein said step of selectively enabling the Electronic Billboard system is implemented as a lock which operates to disable operation of the Electronic Billboard system unless said user key and said broadcast key conforming to said predetermined criteria are present.

A system for authorization and control of an electronic billboard system including obtaining a video signal at a video program origination location and first indicia location means for identifying the location of a first indicia which is a portion of a video field in a said video signal and transmitting said video signal to a location remote from said video programming originalion location where a second indicia is substituted for said first indicia, said system comprising:

• a user key presupplied to said remote location;
• a broadcast key supplied to said remote location at or near the time of transmission of said video signal,
• a first indicia location signal also supplied to said remote location at or near the time of transmission of said video signal;
• and,
• means responsive to said user key and said broadcast key for selectively enabling the remote location to replace said first indicia with said second indica in said video signal,
• wherein the location of said second indicia is determined by said first indicia location signal which is generated by said first indicia location means.

A method for authorizing and controlling an electronic billboard system including a video program origination location and first indicia location means for locating a first indicia comprising a portion of a video field in a video signal and transmitting said video signal to a location remote from said video programming origination location where a second indicia is substituted for said first indicia, said method comprising the steps of:

• presupplying a user key to the electronic billboard system in advance of an intended usage of the system;
• supplying a broadcast key to said remote location at or near the time of transmission of said video signal,
• supplying a first indicia location signal to said remote location at or near the time of transmission of said video signal;
• and,
• selectively enabling said remote location in response to the receipt of said user key and said broadcast key to cause the replacement of said first indicia by said second indicia at said remote location,
• wherein the location of said second indicia is determined by said first indicia location signal which is generated by said first indicia location means.

In an electronic billboard system including a video program origination location having first video advertisement location means for identifying the location of a first video advertisement in a portion of a video field in a video signal and transmitting said video signal to a remote location where a second advertisement is selectively substituted for said first advertisement, the system further including:

• user key presupplied to said remote location;
• broadcast key supplied to said remote location at or near the time of transmission of said video signal;
• a first advertisement indicia location signal also supplied to said remote location at or near the time of transmission of said video signal and,
• means responsive to said user key and said broadcast key for selectively enabling said remote location to determine the location of said first advertisement in said video signal and to replace said first advertisement with said second advertisement at said remote location,
• wherein the location of said second advertisement is determined by said first advertisement indicia location signal which is generated by said first video advertisement location means.

An electronic billboard system comprising:

• means for capturing a video signal at a video programming origination location
• indicia location means for identifying the location of a first indicia which is a portion of a video field in said video signal and producing a first indicia location signal in response thereto;
• transmission means for transmitting said video signal to a remote location separated from said video programming originalion location, said transmission means also transmitting said first indicia location signal at or near the time of said broadcast of said video signal;
• and,
• remote location means for selectively substituting a second indicia for said first indicia at a location in said video field dictated by said first indicia location signal.

A method for controlling an electronic billboard system comprising the steps or:

• obtaining a video signal at a video program origination location;
• employing first indicia location means to locate a first indicia which is a portion of a video field in said video signal;
• producing a first indicia location signal by means of said first indicia location means including information with regard to the location of said first indicia;
• transmitting said video signal to a remote location separate from said video programming origination location;
• transmitting said first indicia location signal to said remote location at or near the time of transmission of said video signal;
• selectively replacing said first indicia with said second indicia at said remote location in said video field at a location determined by said first indicia location signal.